Odyssey

Alexandra Danca

3rd hour

10/11/12

Hero Odysseus

In the poem The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus faces many challenges such as facing monsters and sailing the seas. He uses his intelligence and loyalty to get out of these situations. While some people believe that Odysseus' actions throughout the poem demonstrate that he is a flawed leader, actually, Odysseus is an effective leader because he is intelligent and loyal; therefore, the epic poem reflects the larger idea that intelligence and loyalty is important.

One reason Odysseus is an effective leader is he is intelligent. For example he tied his crew up when they went by the lotus flower. He had to come up with a plan, so they wouldn't be lured by them so, "[he] drove them, all three waiting, to the ships tied them down under their rowing benches" (Book 9, ll.48-49). This reveals that he is intelligence to come up with an idea like that.

Odysseus and Nausicaä by Charles Gleyre (19th cen...

Mnêstêrophonía: slaughter of the suitors by Ody...

Ulysses at the court of Alcinous

Another example is when he told the Cyclops his name was Nohbdy. He told the Cyclops, "My name is Nohbdy; mother, father, and friends everyone calls me Nohbdy" (Book 9, ll. 274-275). This shows that he has intelligence because when the Cyclops tells someone who hurt them it sounds like he's saying nobody did it. His intelligence is one of the reasons he is an effective leader.

Odysseus is also an effective leader because he is loyal. An example of why he is loyal is when he wouldn't eat or drink anything from Circe without seeing his crew first. Odysseus told Circe, "Or swear [him] a great oath if [he] does [she'll] work no more enchantment to [his] harm" (Book 10, ll. 76-77). This shows that he cares about his crew and is willing to look after them. Odysseus also...